Barcelona vs Espanyol – La Liga Betting Tips

Barcelona will face Espanyol in the match week 14 of the Spanish La Liga at the Camp Nou on Saturday. 

Both teams are currently lying in the bottom half of the league table with 17 points to their name. Barcelona will be looking to deliver their best in this fixture, while Espanyol will be keen to pull off a heist at Camp Nou.

Barcelona Form and Team News

Despite suffering three defeats in the last six league matches, Barcelona will enter Saturday’s fixture with hopes and positivity.

The reason is the arrival of their new manager Xavi who has replaced Ronald Koeman on the bench who was sacked after a series of poor results left the Catalan-based outfit in the ninth position of the league table with just 17 points after 12 matches played, six behind fourth-placed Atletico Madrid.

Therefore, even though there is some positivity after the return of a club legend in a managerial role, the reality is showing a very different picture where the club are in danger of missing out on UEFA Champions League football next season, which would be catastrophic for Blaugrana who are already struggling financially.

Their job is unlikely to get easier as young striker Ansu Fati is set to miss at least three weeks of action after suffering another injury, this time in the match against Celta Vigo.

Veteran striker Sergio Aguero’s future at the club is also in doubt after reports emerged that the Argentine forward might have to retire after suffering a minor heart attack on the field.

But on the other hand, there is optimism that the likes of Gerard Pique, Pedri and Sergi Roberto might be involved in the fixture after recovering from injuries.

Espanyol Form and Team News

After securing three wins in the last six league matches which included just a solitary defeat, Espanyol will enter the contest hoping to get the better of the struggling giant in Barcelona.

Manager Vicente Moreno will be hoping that his players will continue producing similar kinds of performances as they’ve done in the recent past.

For an important game against a local rival, the good news for Moreno is that there are not too many injury problems he will have to deal with. Only central midfielder Keidi Bare is uncertain to take part in the match.

Ever since Xavi has taken over as the manager of FC Barcelona, he has expressed his desire time and again to play a system that might use a high line at the back to help the forward players.

If that will be the case, Espanyol will be banking on their in-form striker Raul de Tomas to punish the home team as he has already scored seven times this season.

Odds by Casumo

Barcelona are the favorites to win according to the Casumo Sportsbook. They are placed at 1.36 odds while Espanyol is placed at 7.50. The odds for a draw are 4.90.

Check out our La Liga Odds Here

 

Our Tipsters Angle

Both teams will be coming in this fixture on the back of producing contrasting performances in their previous outing. 

Despite recent results and injuries, Barcelona are still looking far too solid for a team like Espanyol. 

Therefore, the prediction is for the Catalunya club to secure a win on Saturday. 

Tip 1- Raul de Thomas to continue his decent form against Barcelona

Striker Raul de Tomas has been in tremendous form for Espanyol this season. With seven goals to his name this season, he is currently Espanyol’s leading goal-scorer in La Liga 2021-22 season. Given his impressive form this season, we can expect striker Raul de Thomas to score one goal or more against [email protected]

Tip 2- Barcelona’s formidable record against Espanyol

Despite suffering from inconsistency in this year’s La Liga, Barcelona will take heart from the fact that they have an excellent head to head against Espanyol. In 40 matches played between the two sides, Barcelona has clearly dominated the proceedings with 26 victories, while Espanyol have come out on just four occasions. Given their formidable record, we can expect Barcelona to beat Espanyol  by a convincing [email protected].

Check out our La Liga Odds Here